A commanding opening partnership between Quinton de Kock and KL Rahul propelled the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) to an eight-wicket triumph over the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in their Indian Premier League (IPL) clash at Ekana Stadium in Lucknow on Friday.
Chasing a competitive total of 177, LSG’s openers wasted no time, with Rahul leading the charge. His aggressive play brought up LSG’s 50 in just 5.2 overs. By the end of the powerplay, LSG was comfortably positioned at 54/0, with Rahul at 34* and De Kock at 18*.
The duo continued their assault and brought up the century stand in the 11th over, driving LSG to 89/0 at the halfway mark of their innings. Rahul, continuing his fine form, notched up his 35th IPL half-century off 31 balls. Their partnership eventually yielded 134 runs before De Kock fell to Mustafizur Rahman for 54.
Following De Kock’s dismissal, Nicholas Pooran joined Rahul and maintained the momentum, helping LSG pass the 150-run mark. However, Rahul’s splendid innings of 82 from 53 balls ended in the 18th over, leaving LSG needing just a few more runs to win. Pooran (23* off 11) and Marcus Stoinis (8* off 3) comfortably saw their team home with an over to spare, finishing at 180/2.
Earlier in the day, CSK, put into bat, had a shaky start losing early wickets, including that of skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad (17) and Ajinkya Rahane (36). However, a resilient half-century from Ravindra Jadeja (57 off 40) combined with Moeen Ali’s quick 30 off 20 balls steadied the innings. MS Dhoni provided the late fireworks, smashing 28* off just 9 balls to propel CSK to a total of 176/6.
Krunal Pandya was the standout bowler for LSG, capturing crucial middle-order wickets, while the rest of the attack kept the scoring in check.
This victory was marked not just by the commanding batting display at the top but also by a well-rounded bowling performance, setting LSG up as formidable contenders as the tournament progresses.
